NYC Shelter Evictions Keep Migrant Youth From Vital Resources

Day after day, dozens — sometimes hundreds — of young migrants gather at a drop-in center for youth on a busy stretch of 125th St. in Harlem. Young men congregate in the main room with their lunches from the kitchen, resting on couches and chairs and watching sports on their phones. The sound of laughter and chatter in Wolof, French and Arabic, among other languages, permeated throughout the space on a recent Thursday, with bright red Valentine’s Day decorations left over from the day before. The center has become a respite for these young migrants, with warm meals, showers, lockers, and peer groups for the youth to connect with each other.

Many of these young men recently arrived in New York, having come from Mauritania, Senegal, and other West African countries. Most have been housed with older migrants in congregate settings, where every 30 days they must begin their search, once again, for a new cot, despite the fact that New York has specific facilities designated for homeless youth .

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